Back to Basics - What Advice Would You Give a High School Class?

This week, I had the privilege of helping a local high school DECA team by listening to their sales pitches for a banking mobile app. Many of the improvements that I recommended to them are the same that I recommend to credit union sales teams all over the country. It got me to thinking … if I were to go back and teach an entire class, what I’d tell the teenagers is no different than what I would tell your adult sales team.

The following tips are for both sales and marketing as the two skills walk hand-in-hand.

Differentiate If you do not make the decision clear why a member should do business with you versus your competition, you’re wasting your breath … and money.

Impact If a great product falls in the market and no one is around to hear it, does it sell? If you don’t get their attention, you don’t get their business.

Engage A conversation, by definition, cannot be one-sided. In sales or marketing, your goal should be to build a relationship … engage the member.

In sales, you do this by getting people to talk. The more your audience talks, the better your success rate. Your sales “pitch” should be more conversation than presentation. Do not assume you can read a prospect’s mind. Ask them what is most important, then focus only on how you can uniquely help them in those areas (see “Differentiate” above).

Here's a great sales tip that my teacher-wife shared with me. To better engage your member, do not ask, “do you have any questions?” Rather, assume there are questions and ask, “what questions do you have?” No one wants to look ignorant, if you acknowledge that questions are expected, they will be more forthcoming in asking them.

In marketing, you engage through emotion. Make the audience feel something. Motivate them to act. Use electronic tools to “ask your questions” and ease the transition from marketing to sales and to provide your team more information to sell.

Engagement must be interactive. We remember what we do more than what we are told. They will remember you more if they physically interact.

Purpose Life is too short for bad sales and marketing. Every word should have purpose! Keep it simple.

Through engagement, you’ve identified your target’s needs and you’ve narrowed the features to only those most important to your prospect. Never present features without benefits. With each sales point, put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and ask, “so what?” Why should they care about what you’re saying? How will it change their lives? Listing features is not sales … demonstrating the value of those features is.

Close If you don’t ask your member to do something, you’ve wasted their time … and yours.

When you begin, know what you want the member to do and drive the entire interaction (sales or marketing) toward that end. Then, make it as easy as possible for them to complete.

There it is: Differentiate, Impact, Engage, Purpose, Close … the five key aspects to successful sales and marketing, whether you’re in high school or a big-time executive. It is truly “back-to-basics,” but it should be our thought process every day.

What would you share with a high school class? Please share in the comments below.